HELENA—Montana’s formally nonpartisan Supreme Court race is developing a clear ideological divide, with liberal advocacy groups, liberal-leaning current and former Montana Supreme Court justices and district judges lining up behind District Judge Amy Eddy, while conservative organizations, Republican officials and GOP committees are supporting District Judge Dan Wilson.
Eddy and Wilson, both judges in Montana’s 11th Judicial District in Flathead County, are running to succeed retiring Associate Justice Beth Baker. The two were the only candidates in the June primary and both advanced to the November general election.
Eddy was appointed to the district court in 2015 and has since been reelected three times. She has emphasized her experience handling complex civil litigation, including her selection in 2017 as the first judge for Montana’s Asbestos Claims Court.
Her campaign has drawn support from liberal organizations including labor and environmental advocacy groups, along with a lengthy list of current and former Montana Supreme Court justices and district judges generally associated with the more liberal side of Montana’s judiciary.
Before taking the bench, Eddy also made thousands of dollars in political contributions to Democratic candidates and committees, a record conservatives have highlighted as the campaign has increasingly focused on the political and ideological backgrounds of the candidates.
Wilson has served as a district judge since 2017 after previously serving as a justice of the peace. He ran for the Montana Supreme Court in 2024, losing to Katherine Bidegaray.
Wilson describes himself as a constitutional conservative and has argued that Montana courts have at times gone beyond interpreting the Constitution and moved into policymaking. He has emphasized judicial restraint and a closer reading of the text and original meaning of constitutional provisions.
His campaign has drawn support from conservative organizations, Republican elected officials, the Montana Republican Party and Republican county central committees. Wilson has also appeared at Republican Party events during the campaign.
The political divide has become more visible following passage of House Bill 39, which repealed Montana’s prohibition on direct political-party contributions to judicial candidates. Wilson has accepted Republican Party financial support, while Eddy has emphasized maintaining distance between judicial candidates and political parties.
The contrast extends to outside organizations. Eddy has support from labor unions, environmental groups and liberal judicial figures, while Wilson has been backed by business, agriculture, mining and conservative organizations.
Despite the ideological divide surrounding their campaigns, both candidates will appear on the ballot without party labels.
The winner will serve an eight-year term on the seven-member Montana Supreme Court.